the journey

I was born and bred in Texas. It was there that I developed a love for medicine and cayenne pepper. It is likely that both factored equally in the push towards Nashville, TN.

Nashville, the Land of Agriculture and Commerce! The special city touts some world renowned Hot Chicken, one of the best hospitals in the country, and of course (my alma mater) Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, I grew as a person and an engineer. My desires shifted from purely medical science towards the application of engineering principles within medical device innovation. Through a unique senior design project, I also found a passion for global health engineering. Now, away from Nashville, I will take any opportunity to visit--if only for the food trucks.

After graduating,  the hatred of the heat lifted me up to the little known gem of Ithaca, NY. They presaged, "Ithaca ain't a place for a country-boy like you. The winters are long and the sun doth not shine! When those nights reach 0 degrees, you'll be a-wishin' you were back down in this spacious land." Well, they were right about the length of the season and the absence of the sun. But we have -30 degree wind chill, by golly!  And I think I just about love it. I studied at Cornell University and graduated with a Masters of Engineering in biomedical engineering. During this stint, I was fortunate to participate in another design project geared towards global health.

Since the conclusion of my studies, I have been successfully contributing to society as a R&D Engineer at a company in Ithaca called Mitegen. As my third year at Mitegen comes to a close, I realize many areas in which I have grown professionally. From soft skills to hard skills, I can now confidently walk into a room and shout, "I AM AN ENGINEER!"

EDUCATION

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN                                                                                                                                                             Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Bachelor of Engineering, May 2012                                                                                                                                                     Masters of Engineering, May 2013
Biomedical Engineering & Minor in Philosophy                                                                                                                                                   Biomedical Engineering

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

  • A hunger to keep up with current innovations in the medical device industry. A desire to develop a hands-on relationship with these devices leading to an effective ideation of new device innovation.
  • Enjoyment stemming from motivating and guiding peers to utilize their unique skills that, as a team, a goal might be reached.
  • Unique coursework includes: Bioinstrumentation, Bioanalytical Techniques, Water Chemistry, and Clinical Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Tissue, Fundamentals of Surgery.
  • Currently studying FDA 21 CFR Part 820 and ISO 13485
  •  Significant time exposed to and participating in the surgical environment.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Product Development

  • While working at Mitegen, I planned and enacted a complete design process for a complex, multi-assembly piece of laboratory equipment.
    •  During the process, I complete full scale experimental analysis, functional optimization, needs-based design, CAD, vendor sourcing, manufacturing documentation, product verification, and production.
  • When I joined MiTeGen, we started a custom engineering sector of the business. I drove the growth of novel revenue by offering custom solutions, in the form of 7 products a year, to customers in need.
    • 1 fully launched product received R&D’s top 100 award for 2016.
  • Co-developed QA/QC protocol for products from the ground up
  • Worked closely with the production team to scale and streamline new product manufacturing
  • Actively self-assigning and meeting deadlines for customer fulfillment, internal design, and clerical goals.
  • I developed an infant sleep apnea monitor, during my Studies at Cornell, based off of the needs of the low income setting. This device was based on the inexpensive implementation of an analog circuit.
  • I developed an EKG implementation method for simple and effective integration into the clinical flow of a low resource setting.

Customer Facing/Sales

  • I continually work with the sales team at MiTeGen to convert 3 of 7 custom designs to complete product launces.
    • I directly interact with customers to understand problems and needs in order to provide ideal solutions.
  • I represent MiTeGen at two trade shows per year. While at the trade shows, I make direct sales. Many connections made at these trade shows monetize in the form of custom engineering and new products.
  • I have lived with, worked with, and interacted with Medical doctors throughout my life and education.

Technical

  • Highly skilled in Solidworks. This includes the completion of an Advanced Part Modeling course in 2014.
  •  I have spent extensive time sourcing, discussing, and negotiating with vendors in order to find the best manufacturing process, price, and lead time.
    • I have worked with and designed for: laser machining, laser cutting, film extrusion, injection molding, additive manufacturing, sheet metal forming, machine shops, micro-assembly, and more.
  • Over 400 hours of nanofabrication and photolithography in a top tier class 100 clean room.
  • 2 years of fabrication experience on a CNC, lathe, band saw, scroll saw, drill press, and SLA 3D printer.
  • Experience with FEA, MATLAB, and Labview

 

MiTeGen; Product Development Engineer……………………………………….....................................…...……………..August 2013-Present
Research/Design Position; Cornell University…………................………………............................…………………..……June 2013-August 2013
Universities; Vanderbilt and Cornell………… ………………………………......................................................……………….August 2008-May 2013
Plano Dermatology;Plano, TX.....................................................................................................................Summer 2009
 

 

*Image thanks to Lou Levit